As summer draws to a close, our focus shifts from the beach to back to school; teachers, lessons, classrooms, and homework. With kids of all ages now trucking home extensive workloads, it's wise to establish a space inside the home that's a suitable study environment.
Without an efficient place to do homework, kids can struggle to focus, can lack the motivation to attend to their work, and can be prone to household distractions They can also, in reaction to insufficient workspaces, develop … [Read more...]

Summer for most families means even more time than usual spent in the car.While this can easily mean chaos, temper tantrums, and sticky messes, these hacks prove car travel - whether long haul road trips or quick jaunts to the playground - can just as easily be organized, well-equipped, mess-free, and, dare I say it, pleasant for both parents and their offspring.1. Missy of Lookie What I Did's car hack means that kids no longer have to balance (or not!) a drink, snack, or meal in their … [Read more...]

Is your car road trip ready? If not, don't fret. Our resident professional organizer, Annie, is here with a summer-themed post for Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life today that will get you there in no time.She's got lots of great tips as well as some handy product recommendations. (I've been meaning to buy the last thing on her list for ages - this is just the push I needed!)
The summer months are fast approaching, and with them, lots of day trips and long-haul journeys.Regardless of … [Read more...]

If I'm honest, I've always thought setting up a birthday gift closet was a pretty unrealistic and over-the-top idea (as evidence by probably the most popular thing I've ever written).But then my son started elementary school and I quickly realized that the number of birthday party invites that come once your child becomes a student can be immense.Not only is it a stress-saver to always have an appropriate gift around, it can also be a serious money saver if you stock up whenever you see … [Read more...]

I've been meaning to post this video for quite a while (we're talking months) but - you know - life. Now, however, the warm weather is coming and I'm not putting it off anymore. A neatly stored disposable bag or two in the car is a must have during summer - perfect for harnessing wet clothes and suits, sand toys, impromptu picnics, etc.And this method is pretty great just for keeping your cupboards from constantly overflowing too. Here's our resident professional organizer, Annie, with … [Read more...]

As I start the process of unpacking my haphazardly stored holiday decor each year, I always think to myself that there must be a better way. So this year I decided to do something about it as part of our Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life series. What did I do exactly? I turned to a pro, of course.I asked our in-house professional organizer, Annie, for her favorite tips! Bookmark or pin them now and save yourself a lot of time and grief at the end of December.
It might seem as though this … [Read more...]

Our resident professional organizer, Annie, is here today with our latest Project Organize Your ENTIRE Life post.She's going to help you tackle your kitchen in 5 manageable steps. Do one a day and by the end of the week you'll have the organized kitchen of your dreams!
Every project seems daunting until you break it into small, manageable parts. Regardless of how badly your kitchen needs decluttering or how intimidated you've been to begin, today's post is designed to get you going and … [Read more...]

There are lots of great reasons to treat your children (even your youngest kiddos) as accountable, active participants at home by giving them both family jobs and money earning jobs. Here are a few of our favorites:It gives them a sense of respect and awareness for their surroundings
It instills in them a healthy relationship with "stuff" and stops entitlement in it's tracks
It teaches work ethic
It provides them with a sense of belonging that comes only through contributing
It … [Read more...]

I recently mentioned my newly rekindled desire to set up a tinkering/creation station in our new house for the kids. So - of course - I had to put our resident professional organizer on the job to make sure I had all the resources I needed to get it done right.Here's Annie with her ideas on how to create a beautifully functional and organized art space for your kiddos.P.S. Creating a space like this is also IDEAL for using with our free summer B.O.R.E.D. printable.
School's out for … [Read more...]